Teeming with wildlife

Wetlands teem with wildlife. About 40% of all the world’s wildlife lives or reproduces in or around wetlands. This includes fish, insects, mammals, plants, fungi and algae, all of which are part of the great interplay that goes to make up an ecosystem.

European eel
Eels live in freshwater, but swim out to sea to spawn. Norwegian eels swim as far as 6,000 kilometres to spawn in the Sargasso Sea! The 2021 Norwegian Red List classifies the eel as endangered (EN). Photo: Roy Mangersnes

Non-biting midges
Non-biting midges look like mosquitoes, but they don’t bite. They have feathery tufts on the front of their heads and are in fact the only insect found in the Antarctic. Photo: Andreas Kalvig

Nodding bur-marigold
The nodding bur-marigold has hooks on its seeds that enable them to attach to passing animals and thus be dispersed over large areas. The 2021 Norwegian Red List classifies this plant as endangered (EN). Photo: Roy Mangersnes

Harbour seal
During courtship, male harbour seals attract females using a form of ‘song’. Females select their mates based on the quality of the singing (deep voices are the most attractive). Photo: Roy Mangersnes

Kelp
Kelp and sugar kelp form extensive belts of seaweed forest along the Jæren coastline. If you want to know the age of a kelp plant, you can count the annual rings in its stem – just like a tree! Photo: Rudolf Svensen

Green lacewing
The green lacewing is a beautiful insect with golden eyes. Its larvae are greedy predators that eat aphids, among others, but as an adult it becomes a vegetarian, eating only pollen and nectar. Photo: Andreas Kalvig

Marsh helleborine
This is one of Norway’s rarest orchids. The 2021 Norwegian Red List classifies the plant as endangered (EN). Photo: Roy Mangersnes

American mink
The mink is a less than welcome species living in our wetlands. It originates in North America, but was introduced to Norway for fur farming and is not welcome here. Photo: Roy Mangersnes